The region is expected to experience gusty winds starting Saturday morning, with winds around 20 mph and increasing throughout the day and strengthening to tropical storm-force Saturday night, Gilmore said.

There is a 50 percent chance of rain on Saturday, with highs near 90 ahead of the hurricane, which is forecast to make a northerly turn later Saturday, forecasters said.

Those winds could prompt the closure of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on Saturday night, once sustained winds reach 40 mph, Gilmore said.

Winds will continue to increase into Sunday, with the worst conditions expected Sunday night into Monday morning, Gilmore said.

Irma could pack Category 3 strength after it makes its possible landfall near Fort Myers and moves through the Tampa Bay area on Monday morning, producing maximum sustained winds as high as 120 mph from Sunday around 8 p.m. through Monday around 8 a.m., Gilmore said.

The storm could produce quick spin-up tornadoes and up to three inches of rain starting Sunday night, with the potential of a 5-7 feet of storm surge across Tampa Bay — and perhaps up to 9 feet in some areas, Gilmore said.

Ongoing pockets of scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms are drifting along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico due to a southwestern air flow. Those storms will begin to expand and shift inland by the afternoon and evening, pushing the Tampa Bay ...

Children across the Tampa Bay area head to their first day of classes Monday in wet, muggy conditions, but things should improve by the second half of the week as more dry air shifts into the Tampa Bay area.
Parents will want to bring an umbrella ...

ST. PETERSBURG — Tampa Bay can expect scattered thunderstorms and heat Sunday.Temperatures will reach about 88 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, but the heat index will climb as high as 97.Scattered showers and thunderstorms will t...

Thunderstorms with possible heavy rainfall will again move through the Tampa Bay area Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.EXTENDED FORECAST: The 10-day outlook for the Tampa Bay areaAs of Saturday morning, most storms were concentrate...

It’s looking to be a fairly muggy morning with partly cloudy skies as Hillsborough County students head back to school today.The National Weather Service reports an area of high pressure holding over the Gulf of Mexico as a strong influence over the ...

Hurricane experts with the federal government downgraded their predictions on Thursday for the rest of hurricane season, saying there’s a 60 percent chance the final months will bring below-average storm activity.That’s a significant shift from origi...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico is now estimating that Hurricane Maria killed more than 1,400 people, far more than the official death toll of 64, in a report to Congress seeking billions to help the island recover from the devastating storm. The...

The Tampa Bay area should see plenty of sunshine to close out this week as an area of high pressure begins to move east toward the Gulf of Mexico, virtually eliminating those pesky early-morning storms.For Thursday, afternoon temperatures will rise t...

Plenty of sunshine will warm up the Tampa Bay area throughout the rest of this week, with a low chance of scattered showers popping up late in the evenings. Over the weekend, the chance of rain will increase slightly as more moisture moves into the a...

A subtropical system has transitioned into Tropical Storm Debby, but it is not expected to impact land as it meanders far out in the north Atlantic.As of 5 a.m. Wednesday, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was located about 1,175 mi...